Guiding Hula: Part one--Getting To Know You.

Hula’s first professional training session was more of a “getting-to-know-you” ride.  Much can be determined from the first ride on a new horse.  An experienced trainer can assess how much training the horse has had and in what discipline by how the horse responds to different cues.  The trainer can also discover past injuries or sore spots that the horse may have by how she moves or if she avoids certain movements.  Just like humans, horses have directional preferences, i.e. right-handed/left-handed and will tend to be more supple when turning to one side and more stiff or reluctant to turn in the opposite.

 

Behavior and personality traits are also determined by the first ride.  Is the horse willing to follow her riders cues even if she doesn’t quite understand what is being asked or does she balk and refuse to do whatever is asked?  Does she follow willingly throughout the ride or does she try to end the ride with bad behavior?  The latter usually indicates the skill of the previous rider.  Young or inexperienced riders tend to stop riding when the horse becomes uncooperative or behaves badly, thus teaching the horse that they determine the length of work time instead of the rider.  Many good horses end up in bad places because of this.  

 

Jeremy’s opinion of Hula was that she was rather green or inexperienced inside the ring.  She was stubborn and determined to call the shots, only trotting when she felt like it and flat-out refusing when she didn’t.  

 

Unfortunately for her, Jeremy was similarly determined to be the one in control.   There were several differences of opinion but Hula eventually conceded to her rider’s insistence.  Prior experience would make one think that Hula had not had such an insistent rider in a while but the diva in her enjoyed most of the attention she was getting.  

 

Jeremy was quiet, offering lots of new experiences but making her as comfortable as possible.  His requests were, at times unfamiliar to her but he praised every attempt to follow them.  He would ask and then make it easy for her to get the answer right.  Confidence is an excellent reward.  

 

After a short amount of time Hula’s first training session was over.  She had done everything that her trainer had asked of her and had received lots of praise and rubs for her efforts.  Horse and rider left the ring feeling tired but happy.